Universal type swivel fitting for an electrical fixture



May 28, 1963 R. LAUPOT 3,091,484

' "UNIVERSAL TYPE SWIVEL FITTING FOR AN ELECTRICAL FIXTURE Filed Feb. 3. 1960 INVENTOR. RICHARD LAU POT United States Patent Ofi ice 3,091,484 UNIVERSAL TYPE SWIVEL FITTING FOR AN ELECTRICAL FIXTURE Richard Laupot, 72 Arleigh Road, Great Neck, N. Filed Feb. 3, 1960, Ser. No. 6,403 1 Claim. (Cl. 285164) This invention relates to a clevis and swivel fitting. More particularly, it relates to a unit which is used for an electrical lighting fixture whereby the unit permits the movement of the electric light fixture at any angle short of 360 degrees.

More specifically, the invention relates to a device which contains several connectable parts used as a unit for an electrical fixture and through which electrical conducting wires can be passed without said wires being fouled in the unit as the electrical fixture is rotated around the unit.

With the above in view, it is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a universal type of swivel and clevis unit in which there is no fouling of electrical conducting wires during the rotation of an electrical fixture attached to said unit.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a device for an electrical fixture wherein the parts of the device can be readily connected or disconnected and in which both ends of the device can be swivelled or rotated, without fouling the wiring going through the device.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a device for the passage therethrough of electrical wires and in which the parts are uniformly made so that one part mates with the other part when joined together.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide an assembly comprising a male and female part, a swivel and a clevis, through which electrical wiring can be extended without fouling therein and which parts can be easily connected.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the herein following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred assembled embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partly broken away sectional view of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the disassembled parts comprising the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Referring now specifically to the drawings wherein like numbers refer to like parts throughout, it will be noted that the invention comprises an assembly 10, containing a female shell 11, a male shell 12, a clevis 13, a swivel 14 and a collar 15.

Said female shell 11, as shown, is provided with a flat face 11' and curved sides 16 and 17 forming a hollow 18 coextensive with the outside 11' and curved sides 16 and 17. Said shell 11, as shown, is provided in the interior with a pivot or a bump 19 which is adapted to fit in a corresponding central recess 20 of clevis 13 whereby the latter can be rotated about said pivot.

Said clevis 13, as shown, is circular but provided with a fiat face 21 so that said clevis 13 can be rotated around said pivot. The clevis 13, furthermore, is provided with a flanged portion 22 and a thread neck 23 extending upwardly therefrom. Female shell 11, is also provided with a threaded opening 24 to permit the insertion therethrough of a screw member 25. It is to be noted that clevis 13 is adapted to fit in the upper part of said female shell 11 as shown in FIGS. 11 and 2, and that it can be rotated around said pivot 19 of shell 11.

Adapted to fit in the lower portion of said shells 11 and 12, there is provided a swivel 14 with a sleeve por- 3,091,484 Patented May 28, 1963 tion 26 adapted to fit inside the lower area of said shells.

Also provided on said swivel is an annular flange 27 and a collar 28 which has an internally threaded central opening 29. Said collar 28 is also provided with another threaded opening 30 for a setscrew 31 which is adapted to act as a retainer for an extension pipe and the like which may be connected to the collar 28. Furthermore, said sleeve 26 is provided with a stop 32 which is adapted to fit in a hollowed groove 33 in shells 11 and 12. However, said stop 32 keeps the sleeve in relatively fixed position in the shells 11 and 12, so that the sleeve 26 cannot fall out of the shells. It also limits the rotary movement of the sleeve when it comes into contact with stop member 34 in said groove 33.

As has been indicated, said shell 11 is connected to maleshell 1 2. The outer portion of said shell 12 is also curved or rounded, as shown, and the interior is bevelled or hollowed out as shown more clearly in FIG. 3. The interior of said shell has concaved hollow 35 and a bevelled edge 36 so as to accommodate the bevelled contacting walls 37 of clevis 13 and provide a bearing for rotating said clevis 13 as shown in FIG. 3. Said clevis is adapted to rotate around said pivot 19 against the stops .38 and 39 extending laterally of female shell 11 thereby preventing the complete rotary movement of said clevis.

Furthermore, said clevis is hollowed out and has a cutaway or recess 40 so as to permit or to accommodate a conducting wire 41 which passes through the whole unit as shown in FIG. 1.

It will be noted that the edges 36 and 37 may be either flat or bevelled to any desired angle to provide a desired area of contact between said wall of the clevis and the wall .of the shell .11. Furthermore, due to the pitch or bevelling or tapering of said edges of 36 and 37 of the adapted to engage the bridge 42 and when said screw is manipulated, it can tighten or loosen the male or female members 11 and 12 respectively so as to form either a loose or a tight fit to hold the clevis 13 and the collar 14. In this matter it will be seen that by a single screw member all four units, namely the male and female members 11 and 12 respectively, the clevis 13 and the collar 14 can be adjusted without difficulty and with suitable control.

Said male shell 12, furthermore, is provided with a raised bridge 42 which as shown in 'FIGS. 2 and 3 fits in recess 43 of shell 11 with a small clearance. Said bridge 42 is provided with a threaded opening 45 so as to accommodate screw member 25 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. As described shells 11 and 12 when joined provide a swivel with stop 32 thereby eliminating the complete 360 degree movement of the swivel 14. Also, said annular or circular groove 33 is provided with a stop 34 to prevent 360 degree angular movement of the swivel 14. The length of the sleeve 26 may be varied to determine the area of contact between the swivel 14 and the shells 11 and 12. The clevis 13 is adapted also to swing through an arc less than 360 degrees and when the unit is assembled as shown in FIG. 2 there is provided an opening through which passes conductor wires 41, under bridge 42 and through the recess opening 40 and hollowed out portion of the clevis 13 so that on the operational movement of either the clevis or of the swivel there is no fouling or cutting of the conductor wires.

A device made according to the present invention permits easy connection with an electrical appliance or fixture while at the same time preventing fouling of the Wiring extending through said unit to light a fixture. Furthermore, the component parts of the unit can be readily assembled and require a minimum of effort in assembling the same nor is there any fastening member needed in the present instance to combine all parts together since the bump pivot forms a pivot for the clevis 13. Also, swivel 14 can readily fit in the interior of the male and female shells while at the same time being held in position by means of the pin 32 extending through the circular groove 36 thus preventing a complete 360 degree movement of the swivel 14. In the ordinary types of connector parts, the wiring is usually fouled and the rubber or other type of insulation over the wire is easily worn thereby causing an electrical short circuit with resultant hazards of fire or shock.

In addition to the above features, the present invention includes the important feature of one tightening or control member namely the screw being able to hold the four component units of the device together, while at the same time controlling the rotary movement of both the clevis 13 and the collar 14. The pressure applied to the screw is such that the rotary movement of both the clevis and collar can be regulated to any desired angle. In other words, the locking force varies with the pressure applied to the screw member holding the two members, namely 13 and 14 together.

Furthermore, it will be noted that in accordance with the present invention, the contacting walls 36 and 37 of the member 12 and clevis 13 can relatively be of any desired pitch, extending from a flat surface upwards, so that the amount of pressure exerted by the screw member 25 will control the degree of rotation of the clevis between said members 11 and 12 around its axis.

As shown, the various component parts of the invention are well made and adapted to fit each other in a very compact and smooth operating condition. It is economical to manufacture said component parts so that in no event is there any necessity of any special type of tooling or combination of parts required.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it is to be noted that modification may be made as to form, use of parts and arrangement of material, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed herein.

I claim:

A coupling for accommodating electrical wiring for an electrical fixture comprising, in combination, a hollow elongated female member containing a central aperture,

a hollow elongated male member having a bridge extending upwardly from and between the sides of the central portion of said male member, said bridge containing a single threaded aperture, said female member fitting over said male member forming a hollow shell with the bridge member adjacent the female member, a clevis having a neck containing a channel therethrough and having a hollow circular portion at one end of said neck, said circular portion having an upper fiat surface and a lower circular Wall extending from both sides of said neck, said lower circular Wall of said clevis having a bottom portion formed at an angle and having the bottom portion contain a notch aligned with the channel in the neck of said clevis, said female member having a forwardly disposed end with a flat undersurface engaging the upper fiat surface of the circular portion of said clevis, said male member having a forwardly disposed end having an upper partially circular edge formed at an angle engaging the bottom of the lower circular wall of said clevis, the upper fiat surface of said clevis containing a central depression and the flat undersurface of said female member having a raised pivot engaging the central depression rotatively securing said clevis between the forwardly disposed ends of said male and female members, a swivel containing a longitudinal channel therethrough and having a forwardly disposed sleeve portion, the rearwardly disposed ends of said male and female members forming a cylindrical cavity, the sleeve portion of said swivel fitting within the cylindrical cavity, said sleeve portion having a stop projection extending laterally, said male and female member within the cylindrical cavity containing a circumferential groove with the stop projection extending into the circumferential groove, holding the sleeve portion within the cylindrical cavity, and a threaded member extending through the aperture in said female member engaging the threaded aperture in the bridge member, said threaded member being operative to clamp said swivel and said clevis between said male and female members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,395,178 Fiori Feb. 19, 1946 2,621,882 Fletcher Dec. 16, 1952 2,694,585 Fiori Nov. 16, 1954 2,709,097 Leary May 24, 1955 2,825,586 Robboy Mar. 4, 1958 2,855,225 Golden Oct. 7, 1958 2,887,329 Blakely May 19, 1959 2,951,716 Myers Sept, 6, 1960 

